


In the Middle of the Night

by findafight



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gert and Molly are siblings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining, Sharing a Bed, the thinly veiled excuse for the bed sharing is non existent it just happens go with it, yall ready for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-02-13 20:11:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12991635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findafight/pseuds/findafight
Summary: Chase and Gert end up sharing a bed. Consistently. For no other reason that apparently they can't really sleep without the other. Chase pines.





	1. I Go Walking in My Sleep

Gert’s hair is tickling his nose when he wakes up. Which is rather surprising, not that it’s Gert’s, but that he’s close enough to her in the bed to feel it on his nose. Their whole…arrangement, he supposes he can call it, revolves around only sharing the bed and not, well, acting like they share a bed _._ His head is resting in the crook of her neck, arm thrown rounder waist, torso half onto of her own, and her hand is resting on the small of his back, a comforting if confusing warmth. Before moving, he takes a steadying breath (ok, maybe he wanted to postpone the inevitable), and Gert hums underneath him, pressing him a bit closer. 

His heart skips a beat, because _cute_ , but it also just makes him more intent on moving away from her, because as much as he wants to stay close, it’ll hurt more once she wakes up she won’t like that he’s pressed against her side, even if it was an accident in sleep. 

Pushing himself slowly to the side so he can lie on his back and stare at the cracked ceiling, he wonders how the hell he ended up sleeping in the same bed as the girl he’s…what? Had a _huge crush on_ for longer than he’d actually ever admit to anyone including himself, the girl that he has no chance of ever actually being within any way other than begrudgingly platonically on her side, leading him to _pine_ horribly and secretly and hide the fact he’s secretly horribly pining? Maybe. 

So, the situation (the sleeping one, not the whole ‘our parents are evil murderers’ one) is a bit complicated and he feels like he’s gonna have to stop hitting on Karo, seeing as she is still gorgeous but never picks up on anything from him and he can take a hint and, well. He is sharing a bed with Gert on a regular, almost nightly basis, and he doesn’t actually want to ruin that by making it seem that he’s legit going after Karolina in anything other than a casually flirty friendship sort of way.

He’s kind of screwed himself over on this one. He knows he’s an impulsive idiot, and does a number of stupid things, but this is probably the stupidest. Because he knows _how_ he had started sharing a bed with Gert, but not really why she let him. 

One of the first nights in The Hostel he couldn’t sleep, no matter what he did, so he went wandering. He came across Gert still up, and ended up sort of just. Sitting in her bed, quiet mostly but talking sometimes, Old Lace doing whatever the dinosaur equivalent of purring beside the bed, and the next thing he knew was waking up in her bed the next morning with her asleep beside him and Old Lace squinting at him with her head sideways. It was nice having someone else with him, reminding him he was alive, not alone (it was nice having _Gert_ beside him). And neither of them mention it, until a few nights later when he wanders again, comes back to her room again, sits with her again, sleeps with her again. 

Never once does she make any mention of him falling asleep in her bed every few days, but she doesn’t look surprised to see him at her door. He stops wandering at night after the third time she didn’t turn him away, stops pretending he doesn’t plan on sleeping there the fourth. The mornings are just him getting up and waving goodbye, Old Lace giving him a dino-smile on his way out, and going to his room to change (maybe. They were in a debilitated mansion and laundry was sparse, ok? and maybe…some of his stuff has started to migrate.) So it becomes semi-routine, not every night, not even every other night, but more than once a week he’ll make his way from his room to hers after he’s pretty sure everyone is asleep. 

Until Topher comes in and Gert mentions not having _slept_ in four days, which he knows is an exaggeration but also knows that four days ago was the last time he invaded her sleep space. After that whole _mess_ was dealt with (thank the stars, literally, for Karolina) he maybe. Turns up at Gert’s doorway at night more often than not, if only to make sure she actually sleeps. (Chase is actually very good at lying to himself, even though he has to remind himself of this fact when even he doesn’t believe that that’s the only reason he comes to her. It’s a reason, she needs sleep, but it’s an excuse too.)

So. Y’know. The whole ‘sleeping in the same bed as his crush’ thing is his own fault but Gert has been _enabling_ him. If she just straight up told him to get lost, tried to sick Old Lace on him, that would solve a lot of problems, but she never does and OL starts to wag her tail when she sees him (he isn’t quite sure if that is normal dinosaur behaviour, but she acts like a weird, scaly dog in other ways so he’ll take it as a good sign). Sometimes he thinks he sees Gert smiling when he shows up at night or even in the daytime when the group hangs out, and that makes a little voice say _‘maybe she likes you too’_ which is usually followed by him loudly saying something complimentary to Karolina because that little voice is dangerously close to _hopeful_ and if Chase has learned anything, it’s that he can’t hope for shit.

Which is why he is contemplating how stupid and/or crazy he is for consistently sleeping in the same bed as the hot girl he has a crush on that he has no hope (no shhh, little voice, no hope) of being returned. He’s just about to _actually_ get up and maybe find something productive to do until everyone gets up when he hears Gert grunt in her sleep and reach her arm towards him. He freezes, her hand latching onto the curl of his elbow and tugging gently. 

“C’mere. ’s cold without you.” She mumbles and Chase shuffles closer towards her, and then, _and then,_ Gert rolls on her side and drapes her arm over his torso, an inverse of the position Chase woke up in. “mm, better.” and he hopes she’s asleep again so he can maybe freak out that sleepy Gert is actually _cuddling_ him right now. “Tell anyone, and Ol’ Lance’ll piss in your bed.” She mumbles, now with her head situated on his shoulder ( _Holy shit!)._

He’s (thankfully) in far too much shock to actually say the first thing that pops into his head, which is ‘ _Well it’s your bed too’_ which would be embarrassing and probably end badly _,_ because he’s an idiot and that was such a Gert threat even whispered against his shoulder and he’s too far gone over her. Her hand is curling on his chest into his shirt and Chase is certain he’s about to explode because the girl he’s been pining after is sleepily cuddling him and honestly what else is supposed to happen?

He lies there, tense and still, and Gert grumbles against his skin “shh, sleep.” and rubs his arm that’s almost under her. And really, he’s weak (so, so weak), so he relaxes as much as he can and focuses on how her hair smells clean from her shower yesterday and the steady breaths against his shoulder, slowly falling back asleep.

When he wakes up again, it’s to Gert trying to groggily disentangle herself from him, hair wild. Neither says anything about it the entire day but, come that night, when Chase shows up in her doorway again and lies down facing her when she smiles a hello (it’s a small smile, but he’s trained himself to see it) she tentatively slides closer to him. 

Now, Chase has established himself an idiot, yes, because he’s sharing a bed with Gert, who it is established he is pathetically pining over like some fool in a teen movie, but he is certain it takes a special kind of stupid to actively hold (not _cuddle)_ the object of your unrequited affections in your arms, in a bed, in your sleep. A special kind of stupid that apparently Chase is because he tucks his arm around her and lets her press her nose into his chest. It’s fine. Gert is soft and warm and is holding him back and he can fall asleep pretending that things are a bit different. So he does. (It’s probably not fine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I edit this? no. Should I be writing term papers? yes. Is this kinda dumb but lots of fun? yep. Do I love gertchase? also yes.  
> I'll do my best to update this within the week. Leave a comment and/or check out my [tumblr](https://findafight.tumblr.com) to tell me what you think and to yell about runaways (and gertchase) with me!! Work title and chapter titles from Billy Joel's "River of Dreams" because I'm a sap who loves Billy Joel


	2. From the Mountains of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly teases, Gert and Chase apparently can't keep their hands to themselves.

Chase isn’t actually sure who knows about him and Gert sharing a bed. He thinks Karolina suspects _something_ out of the ordinary and expected, but probably not exactly what, and Alex and Nico are…well, he’s not sure what they’re doing but it’s _not_ paying attention to which room both he and Gert exit when the get up in the mornings. He doesn’t _care_ if the others know, he just doesn’t think they’ll understand that they are _just_ sharing the bed. 

The only person he’s _sure_ knows is Molly. Who takes this knowledge as an opportunity to torture him with pointed eyebrow movements whenever she sees him interacting with her sister. She is devious, and finds his pained looks yelling _quit it_ absolutely hilarious, if her smirks and shrugs and eye rolls are anything to go off of. He never really got why people complained about annoying younger siblings while still being ready to protect them. He’s pretty sure he gets it now. Molly is a _terror,_ but he is ready to step in between her and all the horrible things that he’s sure awaits them outside the Hostel.

A couple nights after Gert started to share his personal space at night (this is how he has decided to call it, in his head, because the alternative is _cuddle_ and he doesn’t want to actively encourage his own pinning) she had walked in, shoulders hunched, eyebrows creased together, looking far younger than she is. Her breathing is a little shaky, and Chase doesn’t really think about sitting up, just after Gert, to see what the matter is.

Molly sniffles, and Chase’s chest squeezes from the empathy of being scared and unsure. But he is the oldest, and she the youngest, so she is more entitled to comfort than he. “I’m, y’know, scared. Gert. Again. It’s-why’d everything have to be so messed up?” 

Chase realizes that he she has probably crawled into her big sister’s bed for comfort often in the past few weeks, and he’s actually a bit surprised this is the first time he’s there for it. Gert is half asleep next to him, and nudges him to make room on her other side for Molly. “Shh. The world has always been fucked, but I’ve got you, Mols. There’s lots of room.” She mumbles, and it’s odd, hearing Gert swear so casually in front of Molly, whom she usually trie to at least keep somewhat away from swearing. Molly crawls under the covers, clinging to Gert’s hand and letting her curl protectively around her. 

He is about to scoot farther away, give them room to comfort on another, but Gert grabs his hand in hers and uses it to roll him onto his side, curling him around her. She hums and leans back into him, and his heart stutters. They are —not even practically but definitely— spooning and Chase has to work to keep his breathing calm, even as he presses his nose to the base of her neck and tucks his feet between hers.

Gert starts to quietly sing, words slurring but tune intact, as Molly’s breathing slows and deepens. Chase squeezes her hand, arm draped around her waist, relaxing to her melody and the warmth of holding her so, so close. Without thinking, he plants a small peck to the back of her neck, and lets sleep wash over him. 

In the morning, wakes up before Gert but not Molly, who is setting up, still holding Gert’s hand, watching him with a raised eyebrow. “So. Cuddling her, huh?” she says it with a bit of a smirk across her sister, like she knows exactly how much Chase’s heart is aching for her. Like she knows exactly what it does to his poor, poor feelings when Gert sighs and shifts towards him at the noise. He blushes, his face hot, and Molly’s eyes sparkle in what he can only image is mischief. 

She slips out before Gert wakes up, thanking Chase for sharing his _“bed buddy”_ for the night with a giggle. She doesn’t mention to in everyone though, so he figures Molly is capable of some form of discretion. Possibly. Time will tell, he supposes.

————

Karolina _definitely_ finds out when she knocks on the door one morning, only to trapeze through it without waiting for an answer. 

“Hey, Gert, gooooood morning! I was wond-oh!” because, _of course_ Chase is going to bolt upright when there’s a loud noise in the room and he had been _sleeping._

He locks eyes with Karolina and they blink at each other for a moment, before Gert sits up, pushes her hair back and rubs sleep out of her eyes. “What’s up Karo? You know I’m not one for early wake-up calls.” He is forever thankful she isn’t freaking out like he sort of is.

Karolina is still staring at Chase, but her eyes flick to Gert and back to him, trying to figure out _what_ he is doing in her bed, probably. She shakes herself out of it, eventually, encouraged by Gert’s impatient look. “Oh! Uh, just trying to plan a food run today, it can wait though…um. Yeah.” and she spins on her heel and books it out of the bedroom.

Gert meets his gaze, and shrugs, sensing the question of _how are you not freaking out right now_ in it. “Not like we’re hiding anything. They just don’t have to _know_ where you sleep every night.” She looks down and fiddles with her hands, a nervous tick she’s had since they were kids. “You don’t mind? Do you?”

He shakes his head, because he _doesn’t_ he just wishes the reason their friends will assume is the _actual_ reason they share a bed. 

Gert smiles slightly and huffs. “Good, now, back to sleep.” She says as she pulls him down to use as her own personal pillow. Chase doesn’t mind as much as he probably should, especially when Gert hums instead of glare when he runs his fingers through her hair. Yeah. He doesn’t mind the others know, as long as it doesn’t stop them.

————

Chase had figured nothing would really change with their dynamic, despite sharing a bed and. Personal space. Gert would still think he’s annoying and dumb and he would still find her a bit of a know it all. Except things do change between them(of course they do). 

Gert’s snide remarks begin to be delivered with a tinge of fondness in her eyes, a softer edge to her voice, sometimes a smile, and in turn he actually shows that he is listening to her speak and tease her back. It’s not flirting though. _Can’t_ be flirting. (even if, when he has a truly excellent comeback, he gets a _look_. Not a suspicious or unimpressed one, more…happy, pleased, _flattered_ than anything else, where she blushes and bites her lip to prevent herself from smiling. It doesn’t really work.) 

Old Lace also has grown comfortable enough with him to place her head in his lap if Gert is not readily available, and sometimes opens up to belly rubs (seriously, he’s pretty sure dinosaurs or lizards or whatever don’t like tummy rubs). The dinosaur will affectionately bump his hand with her head in order to _insist_ upon being pet (Ok so maybe a bit of a mix between a cat and a dog. But still. Not very _dinosaur_ ) 

They also, apparently, are far more tactile than the rest of their friends. (This is a leading point for the little, hopeful voice, because Gert is only every touchy-feely with people she trusts. Which apparently only Molly and Chase, also the only two people allowed to share her bed, go figure. The little, hopeful voice whispers “you’re the only one she’s this affectionate with, besides Old Lace and sometimes Molly”. He’s considering believing it.)

Chase isn’t quite sure _when_ he started to lean against Gert on the couch and let her play with his hair, but it certainly isn’t something he’s going to complain about. He hooks his chin over her shoulder to look at whatever book she’s talking about, and she automatically reaches up to twist it between her fingers. She’ll stand just a _little_ too close to be casual when the group debriefs their latest escapades or food runs. He’ll tuck hair behind her ear, and she’ll roll her eyes and grab his hand, squeeze it, and let it go. She let’s him play with her hands, twisting her fingers around his gently, and it’s _so close_ to just holding them that sometimes he stills, just to stare at how they’re wrapped in each other.

Molly looks at them and makes gagging motions accompanied by pointed looks whenever they do anything now. He ignores her, mostly. His stomach swoops and flips whenever they brush by each other, and he feels giddy when Gert nudges him to whisper in his ear. He wants to let his eyes flutter shut and bask in her closeness. He doesn’t, but she strokes his jaw, and _how is that platonic,_ before giving a small smile an tucking her chin.

All of it makes the little hopeful part of Chase bigger and louder, but, fuck it, he thinks he deserves a little hope after everything. ‘ _Maybe she likes you too, maybe she cares, maybe it’s not just a sleeping arrangement for her either. look at how she_ looks _at you.’_ it says, and as much as he thinks he should ignore it, stay away from the heartbreak that hope holds, he doesn’t try to silence it. It’s nice to have a little hope, one in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be longer, more stuff was supposed to happen, like _drama,_ but eh, I figured it'd be appreciated sooner, and another chapter sometime next week, hopefully! (There's one or two left...) I love hearing from readers, so like/Comment here, and hit up my tumblr! (under the same usr, findafight) I sort of feel like nothing happened in this chapter? ehh.


	3. Through the Valley of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karo corners Chase. Also, there are nightmares.

Karolina corners Chase in the common room after he gets breakfast. He knew it was going to happen after she saw them that morning but. Still. He wished she wouldn’t smile at him like she’s set a trap and he’s just set it off. Actually, that may be exactly what he’s done.

“So,” she says, and her smile has transformed into a smirk. He knows what she’s going to ask and would like to retract any and all praises he ever had of Karolina’s good character because she is evil. “How long has _that_ been going on?” 

Chase buries his face in his hands and groans. “It’s not what you think. It’s just. Friendly.”

“Friendly. Bed sharing.”

He looks up, running his hands through his hair. “ _Yes._ ” Karolina’s eyebrows shoot up, because he _means it_. He isn’t lying to get her off his back he _actually means it._ Even if he wishes they shared reasons that weren’t quite so platonic, it is what it is. And it’s nice

There’s a comfort knowing that some he trusts is beside him. A comfort in having someone to talk to about anything, about nothing. He knows that it’s more than his _crush_ on Gert, liking spending time with her and hearing about what she and Alex have cooked up, it’s about having one of his closest friends back.

It’s almost, _almost,_ the same as it was before Amy died. 

Since before then, if he’s honest, because Amy’s death wasn’t the causation, just a catalyst, a trigger, for the whole of them splitting into so many individual pieces. They were fracturing, or at least Chase knows he was, away from the group before Amy died. He knew that there was a role he could hide from the world in, and it didn’t include being best friends with a guy in the AV club who wore superhero t-shirts, a hippy dedicated to her religion, the sister of the best badminton player in school who had a penchant for Wicca, or a fierce girl determined to fight for causes he’d never thought of. He thinks over how he stopped responding as quickly to messages, or bailing out last minute for plans, or straight up ignored them, and he regrets it. Regrets the part he played in their little family breaking up. 

If there’s a next time, (god he hopes there’s no next time) they won’t be fractured because of him. 

So, yeah, he likes the easy friendship he and Gert have, and the bed sharing is platonic, no matter what his heart wants. It’s good for both of them, he’s done worrying she felt put out by him sharing with her because really, when has he known Gert to do anything she didn’t want to? Not doing things she wants to, sure, saying things she doesn’t mean, yes, but continuing a trend of actions she didn’t want to? Rare and unheard of. He doesn’t want to mess it up.

Karolina is looking at him like she doesn’t believe he could platonically share with anyone, his masculinity at stake. But hell, they’re living in a mansion half-sunk into the ground, on the run because they were framed for murder, and he’s listened to Gert complain about toxic masculinity enough to know that, you know what? He’ll share a bed with whoever he damn well pleases, it doesn’t matter and doesn’t hurt anyone and no one that would take the piss out of him for it is here. Karo doesn’t count in that because she needles because she cares, not because she thinks belittling others is cool, or sharing a bed with friends is emasculating if it isn’t about sex.

“It’s-” he starts. Pausing so he doesn’t fuck up the words, “It’s nice knowing you aren’t alone.” voice softer than he meant it to, he sees Karo’s face soften out.

She nods, brushing hair away from her face and watching her hands trace patterns on the table. “Yeah. You’re right. And,” She stands and offers a hand to him, ready to lead wherever it is she’s going for the company. He takes it and stands beside her, neither releasing the light hold, “It’s nice having your family with you and having your back.” 

He elbows her lightly as they head to the games closet, and realizes that this little group of misfits is more of a family to him than anything else he’s known.

(Chase sometimes thinks about the lacrosse team, how they’d call themselves “brothers”, and how, if they knew he let a fourteen-year-old french braid his hair with wildflowers, or actually knew the lyrics to Kumbaya, or even how he tried to learn how dungeons and dragons works-very complicated but _so fun_ once you get the hang of it- they would tear him a new one. As it is, his family just smiles knowingly and enables him as one hands him more wildflowers. The part of him that tells him not to do harmless things he enjoys is quieter after a few weeks in the Hostel than it had been in years in his own house.)

————

Chase has nightmares. Usually he doesn’t wake up from them until morning, when he can gasp and calm himself without fanfare, but sometimes they’re worse than usual. (Those have gotten few and far between since he started sharing with Gert. The presence of another human is comforting in ways he didn’t realize he needed.) 

This night, he wakes up from a bad one, and Gert is there cradling his cheeks, trying to soothe. He isn’t actually sure what woke her up, if he accidentally kicked her shin too hard, or yelled out, or she woke when he tensed. It doesn’t really matter. She’s awake, he’s had another terrible nightmare, and she’s stoking his cheeks softly. (They used to just be his father and himself, occasionally his mother. Now he is still a main role but the other kids are in his sights and it’s terrible, terrible, Chase is eldest and should be protecting them but he always freezes. Can’t move under his father’s steely glare, powerless and a coward, watching the others get hurt.)(He’s so scared they’ll someday be more than dreams.)

“Hey, Chase, hey. You’re awake, you’re safe, I’m here.” Gert’s voice is strained like she’s holding back something, and Chase hates it. He’s upset her, woken her up with these pathetic nightmares about his big bad dad, and he can’t really talk to apologize. She’s closer than usual, their legs tangled together, his arms squished between their chests while she runs her fingers through his hair rhythmically, palms brushing his cheeks. “Breathe with me. Nice and steady.” She takes slow, deep breaths, in and out, and Chase follows her.

“Good, good.” she smiles softly, somehow proud of the fact that he was able to copy her breathing, like it was some great feat. He remembers her anxiety, remembers her telling herself to breathe, and realizes that maybe it is. Maybe sometimes, being able to breathe in your own skin is one of your best accomplishments.

His breathing calmed, he disentangles his arms from between them and drapes himself over Gert, burrowing into her shoulder. “Thank you, Gert” more of a breath than a whisper, but Gert hears it anyway.

She huffs, readjusts her arms to trace patterns on his back and arms. “Nothing you wouldn’t do for me.” 

He lets the silence stretch, their breathing matching in the dark and the shuffling of sheets. She smells comforting, like cotton and a bit of sweat and cheap shampoo. She breaks it, pulling back, and he thinks he sees her lick her lips in the dark. “Um. Do you want to talk about them? The nightmares, I mean.”

“Not right now. Tomorrow. I don’t-” his stomach clenches, “I want to sleep.”

“Sure” Gert lies down, pulls him onto of her, tucking his head under her chin and curling her hand into his hair. He thinks that’s it, and they’ll talk more tomorrow. Of all his fears and nightmares, of the ways he feels he’s failing the group. Of how he’s terrified of hurting them all. But Gert whispers once more before he drifts to sleep to the sound of their matched breathing and the creaks of the Hostel. Quietly into his hair, he can feel her lips moving, “You’re safe here, with your family.”

His chest warms, and he doesn’t want this feeling to end when the sun comes up. 

It feels like home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! I'm so sorry for the delay on this fic. last semester wasn't very good for me, and I worked in the woods all spring and summer so I didn't have time to work on fics (or at least, finish them. I have a bunch of stream of consciousness planning for wips big rip) This chapter is shorter than I wanted it to be, less stuff happens than I wanted, but I wanted to post something to get back in the groove of things, and this was mostly done and I can work around it in terms of chapter separation. also it's hardly edited oops  
> I want to finish this fic before Season 2 comes out, so. Also Emma said she believes in me but doesn't BELIEVE me on that so. Had to do something to ease her mind.  
> Kudos and Comment and yell at me about stuff here or on my Tumblr (findafight) because I love hearing from readers and need encouragement because im a sad uni student kajsdnfajsdkjnaf i love you guys i have to go to class now ;)


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